Live Quotes Day 4 (Monday, June 25) - U.S. Olympic Team Trials

6/25/2012

MEN’S DISCUS (PRELIM)

Lance Brooks, first place

On continuing on to the semifinals…
“Definitely ready for it. I wanted to get a good mark today, but I’m going to do my real work on Thursday. It feels good, but I need to keep my composure…I know my body and I know what I need to do.”

On the weather…
“You get into a wet situation, you need to calm down and slow down to throw in these conditions.”

On the race…
“Steeplechase is never easy because you are hurdling for nine minutes and 45 seconds. But I like the rain because it actually cools you down.”

On how she feels being out there…
“It feels great; it’s been a long time coming and I’m happy it’s finally here. They have great facilities here and the people are really nice.”

On not competing as much this season…
“I’ve actually done the most mileage consistently this season. I’ve worked harder this spring than ever before. I’m happy it’s just here. It was weird to not compete at NCAAs or in conference competition.”

On having teammate Shalaya Kipp compete with her…
“My teammate is my biggest competitor, but we are happy to be here and hope we can both make the team.”

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Shalaya Kipp, second place, Heat 1

On the race…
“I’ll take what I got. I just crossed my fingers to get in the semis and get that ‘A’ standard. I wasn’t thinking about my time.”

On thinking about the ‘A’ standard…
“Yes I was; it just didn’t work out today.”

On training with Emma Coburn…
“Emma is phenomenal…We do a lot of workouts together…It’s great having Emma.”

On the semifinals…
“I’m going to hope to be under 9:45 and just race it.”

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Bridget Franek, first place, Heat 2

On the race…
“It was a smooth race. I felt like it was a pretty controlled effort; I was definitely thinking about Friday.”

On the traffic…
“There were a few little missteps that made me nervous, but it encouraged me to get going.”

On being at Hayward…
“I love hearing the cheers and the screams from the fans; it’s great.”

On getting last at the Prefontaine Classic…
“It was a mental bomb on my part; I was physically prepared but not mentally. The best athletes can get out of it and that’s what I did today.”

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Sara Hall, second place, Heat 2

On how she felt during her race…
“I felt great. Definitely the best I have felt all spring…I came into this race with a lot of peace.”

On the steeplechase…
“I feel like steeplechase is my own. It’s an event that fits my personality. I wish I discovered it earlier. I like the challenge and tactic of it, and it’s fun to be working on a skill instead of just pain tolerance.”

On the race…
“It was good. The plan was to go out in the first third of the pack and stay out of trouble. I wanted to have a clear sight of where I was running. I felt really great.”

On running in the rain…
“It didn’t bother me. It felt pretty nice, actually. It was nice and cool and kept my body temperature down.”

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Donald Cabral, second place, Heat 1

On the race…
“[Time] wasn’t on my mind. I spent time shuffling around people. I’m ready for the finals.”

On his preparation for the finals…
“I’m ready for it. It’s hard not to be mentally and emotionally ready…I had a couple hard months of training, and I’m feeling better and better. The end of collegiate season set me up for now.”

On his strategy for the finals…
“To make it through. Do what I can to try and win…I try to bring confidence into every race, but everyone has a shot.”

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Craig Forys, third place, Heat 1

On how he raced…
“I kind of waited for a gap to open up and I got really sneaky and wiggled my way up there. I was smiling during the race because I was happy that I got up to the front that way.”

On how he feels about the steeplechase…
“I think in this race there is a lot of nervousness in this event. There is the racing nervousness and the jumping nervousness. It took me a couple of years to get over all that because you could literally fall at any time.”

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Daniel Huling, first place, Heat 2

On his injury…
“I had a miserable last year as I was hurt. Last year was the first time I actually cried after a race.”

On the race…
“It was easy. It was smooth. Smoothest I’ve ever felt.”

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Benjamin Bruce, second place, Heat 2

On being at Hayward…
“It feels good to get out here.”

On preparing for the finals…
“Let’s get this show on the road…I don’t take a lot from the prelims. For some, the prelims are your final. Now that I’ve done it a bunch of times, I just want to get through the prelims and work for it in the final…It’s always good to get it over with. Some have nothing to gain from the prelims. It’s part of testing who people are though.”

On how she is feeling…
“I am confident. It is great to be here with a teammate. There is also a lot of positivity here over the past few days and I feel like everyone is stoked that we are here.”

On how she approaches the race…
“I really try and treat it like another race and not that we are here competing in order to get to the Olympics; that would make it harder. So I treat it like any other race so that I don’t psyche myself out.”

On her racing strategy…
“The strategy was to stay up there and be a part of the top six the entire time and I just did it. It was great so fingers crossed and I plan on doing the same thing.”

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Julie Culley, second place, Heat 1

On her race…
“It went really well for me. I felt like I didn’t have to do too much work. It was hard at the beginning because the pace was slow. I took it with 300 meters and let up with few meters to go. That’s when Abbey [D’Agostino] breezed by, but I knew I was safe.”

On how she feels physically…
“My fitness is good. I PR’d this spring, which gave me confidence.”

On the Olympics…
“I want this more than anything. This is the biggest thing right now to be on this Olympic team. Who knows where I’ll be in four years? I’ve been cautious on my training. My focus is on this.”

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Julia Lucas, third place, Heat 1

On running for Oregon Track Club…
“I want to make this [uniform] look good because they have done so much for me.”

On her physical fitness…
“I have no pain. My fitness is back.”

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Kim Conley, first place, Heat 2

On her race…
“I took the prelim really seriously. I didn’t want to mess it up…I had to be ready to close hard.”

On her improvement…
“Where I am in the sport is really different than last year…This year I am actually here to compete…Step 1 [prelims] is done.”

On the ‘A’ Standard…
“I have to do it in the final. I have to get it to make the top three and to make the team.”

On the finals…
“I’m happy to be here and be in the best shape of my life.”

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Molly Huddle, second place, Heat 2

On her race plan…
“I just wanted to relax, but I didn’t want to get tripped so I went out in front. I felt more comfortable staying out in front.”

On making the team…
“I just want to run my normal baseline race in the finals. I feel like making the team is more realistic this year.”

On the Prefontaine Classic…
“The Pre highlighted things I needed to tweak. I’m glad I ran there and found the things I needed to tweak and didn’t find those things out here.”

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Lauren Fleshman, sixth place, Heat 2

On making the finals…
“I made it. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe the crowd. I’ve never had that kind of support.”

On her training…
“Coming in I never trained more than about 10 miles per week. I was swimming and doing the elliptical. I kept cross training thinking one day I’ll be able to run. That was my first 5K and I thought why not try it; it’s the Olympic trials.”

On her goals…
“My goal coming in was be courageous enough to step on the starting line and find out what 100 percent of Lauren Fleshman is. On Thursday it will be the same. Whether I get last or third, I’m not afraid.”

On making the team…
“I’m 21 and I’m out here watching my dreams come true. I was here at the trials when I was 17; I was a junior in high school and I just came out for the experience. This time I came back and now I’m moving on to London.”

On his goals at the Olympics…
“It’ll be my first Olympic team. There are two rounds and goal is to make the finals first. You have to compete against yourself first and then your competitors.”

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Jamie Nieto, third place

On how he is feeling…
“I have got to thank God. I’ve been competing a long time now. In 2008 it didn’t happen, but this time I did. God blessed me with the rain. I just tried to stay focused because I know I can jump high in the rain.”

On if he expected to make the U.S. team…
“No, I didn’t see this coming but I had a good feeling. I hate to bring up the religion thing again but God told me this was going to happen and work out. I just kept thinking I have to keep jumping high.”

On getting the ‘A’ standard…
“Getting the ‘A’ standard was super important today. I got left out in the 2008 Trials because I got second but not at the ‘A’ standard. This year I gave myself every opportunity to jump the ‘A.’ I visualized that this was going to happen.”

On his approach…
“I am taking one meet at a time. If you start looking too far ahead you end up getting left behind.”

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Nick Ross, third place

On his jumps…
“The day started off rough. There was a little bit of rain in the beginning so I was hesitant to plant my foot. Then the rain let up and I felt better… but it wasn’t enough.”

On the key factors to getting third…
“Just keeping a strong mind. The first couple of bars everyone was worried; my coach was worried, myself even was worried.”

On not making Team USA…
“It’s bittersweet I didn’t make the team. I’ll definitely be on that podium again.”

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Jesse Williams, fourth place

On today’s jumps…
“I’m going to London. I got fourth and it’s not the best way to do it…Today I did a lot of things wrong. I became a jumper, not a high jumper, and that started to pull on my natural abilities, which only gets you so far…Ultimately it’s about getting on that team.”

On competing in London…
“I will do everything I can to get on that podium…To not make the Olympic team especially after winning the Worlds last year…I’ve never been in a situation that I wished someone a miss. I had a heck of a year last year and for me to not be on the team would be a disaster.”

On her jumps…
“I started off with a pretty good jump. I was hoping to build off it but I wsn’t able to. It was close and I was hoping to increase the distance as I went on, but it worked out.”

On her preparation for the finals…
“I was definitely mentally prepared for things to get shaken up at the finals, A standards being achieved and such. I was expecting to jump further, but I’m happy with the performance.”

On going to the Olympics…
“There’s more to come, and I’m looking forward to the Olympics.”

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Sheena Gordon, second place

On her day and approach…
“I had a pretty good day; I PR’d and had a heck of a series, like my best series ever. I don’t think I’ve ever had a series like that ever. Regardless I am so proud to make it here to the podium today.”

On going to chapel before competing today…
“Chapel was awesome; it really did. Like I said I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare, but I did feel really good today. Probably the best I have ever felt spiritually, mentally and physically. I trusted God so much coming here today.”

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Andrea Geubelle, third place

On her jumps…
“I’m pretty happy with how I did and with getting third. I’m proud of my accomplishments.”

On not making the team…
“Not having the ‘A’ standard makes it bittersweet, but I just have to build on that.”

On her race…
“Today was amazing. A lot of us were OK with the rain because if we got on the podium it’s how it would be in London. I’ve been doing a lot of strength conditioning and I just went out in the same fashion I normally do and it worked for me. My first 600 I wanted to simulate what it’d be like on the world stage. My coach and I wanted to use this as practice.”

On being a female athlete…
“The flower in my hair represents strength. People look at women in sports differently. People say, ‘Oh she runs like girl.’ And I just say, ‘Why the heck not run like a girl?’”

On how she runs…
“I just have this braveness about myself. I’m not going to run to just run a certain way. I’m going to run what feels good, what feels natural.”

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Geena Gall, second place

On how she is feeling…
“I am pretty used to this rain, so it didn’t bug me too much. I just stuck behind the four other girls; I didn’t want to die too fast. This year I was confident.”

On what she imagined…
“I imagined coming off the last curve and sprinting to the finish line. I knew Alysia was going to make first but this is my first Olympic team and I can’t wait to go to London with these girls next to me.”

On her approach to the race…
“I just wanted to dig down deep and get across the line with a kick. I had to go wide around [Brenda] Martinez and a couple of other girls to get in a good lane to the finish line.”

On her inspiration…
“My older brother was really athletic and so I always looked up to him. I wanted to be like him. I thank him for making me so fast, like, we would always have fake track meets around our house and they made me fast.”

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Alice Schmidt, third place

On the race…
“I knew Alysia was going to come out fast. I felt comfortable going out fast. I just wanted to tuck in behind Alysia and run smooth. I was kind of shuffling the last 100 meters with other women making their moves. I knew it was going to be a dog fight out there.”

On making the team…
“I’m happy to have made the team again. I’m happy to be back on top and in great company with these other two women.”

On her role models…
“I have a sister that is two years older and I had the mentality that anything she could do, I can do better. She ran in high school and college and showed me how to fight through pain and adversity. I also have a really inspirational Coach that inspires me every day. The first time I talked to him, I knew it would be a great coach-athlete relationship. He reminds me to have courage. He’s a really great coach; I don’t have enough good things to say about him.”

On performing in front of a supportive crowd…
“The community has really embraced me. It’s a testament to the community. I have really made this my home. They give me a huge shot of adrenaline, which gives me a great advantage.”

On his preparation…
“I come from a distance background…I’m a guy that says, ‘Speed comes from strength.’ I train one-milers for most of the year…Coming down the home stretch of 2007, 2008 my form broke.”

On crossing the finish line…
“It’s relief for years of training.”

On his improvement…
“I’m not just coming into my own…I just want to go out and run hard…I’ll try and get through the rounds as best I can.”

On his chances at a medal for USA…
“I want to bring a medal back so badly. The semis are so unforgiveable. There are 24 guys towing the line. It’s going to come down to a lot of luck and a lot of timing. But once you make the finals it’s anyone’s race.”

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Khadevis Robinson, second place

On his goal…
“It was all about making the team. I got fourth in 2008 and I thought, ‘This is my time to win.’ I’m happy to make the team and it’s a blessing to make the team.”

On his race plan…
“I had a race plan, but I didn’t expect everyone to go out that fast. I stuck to my plan and it worked.”

On the competition…
“I’m 35 and it takes guys to run PRs and PBs to beat me. If it takes me to have other guys run lights out, then I’ll take it.”

On the rain…
“It’s going to rain in London, we all know that. It rained here, which is great.”

On the difference between competing in 2000 and now in 2012…
“The difference is you take it for granted when you’re young. It helps put your life in perspective. This is not the most important thing in my life right now. I have a wife and two kids; I have things in perspective now. I have a difference balance than I did back then.”

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Duane Solomon Jr., third place

On his approach to the race…
“I kind of came into the race with my legs feeling really good today. I got to the 600 and saw the clock and knew things were moving really fast.”

“This is my first Olympic team and I feel so blessed to be here.

On the weather…
“Coming in the weather has been off and on but we are prepared for it. We train in anything; coming out here I expected it to be raining just like this. This hasn’t been too bad I am kind of used to it.”

“This is my third year with my coach. He really drills into me and believes in what I am capable of and what I can do. This year I came in with a great confidence. We knew what I could do and how my training has been. I just used to go out there and do it. Great day for me today.”

On UO competing in the trials…
“I think it is a great opportunity for the world’s greatest team to show their abilities. They have shown their ability and shown the reason why we are a top team.”

On the weather…
“I look at things the same way I coach. I control the controllable and don’t control the uncontrollable, because we can’t control the uncontrollable. I think this weather is great preparation for London.”

On the crowd/fans…
“The 2,100 people sitting out there in ponchos, choosing not to watch on their TVs at home but rather come out here and support, shows a lot about Oregon fans.”

“I think when we look at this program seven years ago, this is exactly what we wanted, minus the rain drops. Whether it’s an Oregon athlete or a non-Oregon athlete the fans go nuts. Our crowd appreciates a great effort and competition to the best of their abilities.”

On the relationship with Nike…
“For the sport to remain healthy we need to keep it in a venue that is spectator, fan and athlete friendly. When track and field are healthy so is Nike. We are fortunate that we are only 100 miles south of their headquarters.”